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In the interest of brevity, and recognizing the need to get some actual work done today, I will dispense with most of the usual formalities. I will, however, extend a warm Smith-style greeting (aka shout-out) to all my homiez in lockdown, er, the new members of this list. You are all on the list because you are important to me in some way. Therefore, I nod my head slightly in your general direction, in the typical juvenile male manner that we don’t seem to outgrow.

If you saved my last update, this will not be much of an update. Yesterday’s doctor visit was uneventful. White blood cell count is around 85,000. Platelets are around 100,000. Lymph nodes are slightly enlarged in comparison to my last visit in February, which means they are freakishly gigantic to my mother (happy birthday again, Mom!!).

I interrupt this update to bring you the following public service announcement: Listen to your mother! Several months before I was diagnosed with CLL, my mother commented on more than one occasion that the lymph nodes in my neck were swollen. Of course, I dismissed her concerns with naive bravado, saying, “I’m fine.” Little did I know….

Back to business….In short, I won’t be doing chemotherapy yet. I’ll continue getting monthly blood tests, and return to the doctor in June.

On another topic, I want to express my gratitude to those who were a part of Jen’s secret plan to add to my personal electronics collection. She surprised me two weeks ago by presenting the gift to me over a shared hot fudge brownie sundae. What a glorious evening–three of my loves together in one place! I was truly amazed at her efforts to gather your contact information and mastermind such a scheme, and speechless when she told me the details. Thank you all for many different ways you have given support. For the locals, I will be hosting a BBQ sometime in the near future. You will be contacted with details.